Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1887-11-11

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alyzed limpness into the nearest chair.
Then, recovering from his mortilica-
ton, he went on: THAT'S the coffin
what we used for the gal at the hotel. y
Here was a pretty GO. The coffin
was of no use to Bony; and the un-
known friends of the girl would in all
probability be on hand in few days to
claim the body and take it elsewhere
for interment.
''But shell make a boOtiful dssect, ="
added Bony, 10y way of comfort. when
he saw the misgiving expressed on my
counternance. II noticed as how she was
bootful gal when we was nail ne
o her up, he went on. you couldn' t
do better N keep her. doctor, seem
we've had the trouble q gettin' her up
l won't charge you nuthin' fur my
share o the work, he continued. be-
traying an eager desire TO get out of
further interest in the business "You
can use the coffin for kndlin'. It's
only stained pine"
And Bony turned up the collar of his
coat and made toward the door as if
this trilling mistake in the matter of
collins had destroyed every bit of his
vengeful spirit.
stop, Bony, / said. "you must help
me lift the body out if we are going to
destroy the evidence of our nights
work. and lifted the lid | had been
busy christening when Bony made his
bolt for the door.
Il cant do it, DOCTOR" Bony said.
in so timorous voice as to surprise
me. II can't look on that gals face
again, nohow. / saw il this morning.
an felt queer all day. till the boss
riled me about that Myers coffin. |
can't touch her again. nohow; | can't,
| tell you, nohowr' And Bony's pite-
Gus wall of "can't-nohow. died away
in the distance as he closed the door
behind HIM and was gone.
There was sense of sOrIowful i'm
petuo,ity left as the echo of his reced-
ing voice. as if drawing himself unwill-
ingly away from some attractive spell
that might prove fatal if he sta ed. |
had lifted the lid and stood looking at
the dead face until that faint sense of
Bony's piteous 'nohow!" was succeed
ed by "A silence so deep as seemed TO
break my reverie.
/ turned away, but an irresistible inn
pulse drew me to the face again. There
was not n vestige of disease or emacia-
ton, there was not the sunkon eve, nor
the grim pallor of death, but marvel
ously beautiful countenance. that wore
only pleading expression, AS if to say:
''Why have YOU disturbed my slcep?"
1t might be only Bonys timorous
voice still ringing in my ears that
made the dead face look SO beseeching,
but i could not break is spell. Turn
from it with what determination |
would, some inefiable fascination drew
NE back again, even from my window
where | had gone 10 catch the first
faint glimmerings of the dawn. as il
their coming would release me from
my strange situat on.
Involuntary | had moved the coffin
lid and looked upon the delcately
chiselled hands and the small and
shepely feet. Her clothing was of the
commonest sort, and had been worn
surely for Disguise and not of necessity.
BOny's queer" feeling understood
now, and every time my eyes perforce.
sought her face. 1t was the power of
beauty to touch human sympathies.
What home had she deserted? How
far had she fallen? 1t had been a bit
of my Impractical philosophy that we
men were too eXacting OF the other
sex; that we had no right TO ask more
than fair balance of virtues. And
here was, in sympathy. putting that
bit of philosophy in practice | was
allowing myself to pity, even to be in
terested in an evident outcast But |
why not? She was dead. And whenI |
had freely p tied and admired. | could /
give her back TO dust again, or TO
friends who might show more charity /
to the dead body than they had to the
living soul.
AS | looked again there was a shade
of color in the face. The d scovery
startled me; the gaze again fascinated
me. My hand instincttively sought
that of the dead. 1t was not dead.
There was mobility and warmth in it.
Or was it fancy with me. growing out
OF the warm atmosphere of my con-
sultation room? Was it my own fevered
mag nation? But the color was stu
rising in the cheeks. / was down upon
my knees chatting the hands In dazed
half consciousness | rudely tore away
the covering from the throat, removed
the tightly laced shoes and rubbed the
soft. delicate feet. When looked again
there was perceptible tremor of the
eyelids, and the large, lustrous eyes